Mt. Ashland extends season after successful year

MT. ASHLAND, Ore. -- For skiers and snowboarders alike, Mt. Ashland is seeing some of its best snow this season.

For that reason, manager Hiram Towle says the ski area will stay open through April 16th.

"For this year we've already surpassed our 70,000 skier visits from last year and we're still not done yet so indications are that Mt. Ashland is back in a very big way. People are happy to have their ski area back," he said.

Towle said this is largely due to the amount of snow: 336 inches this season, with more expected in the days ahead.

"The snowpack that we have is really good for the watershed, it's not just for the skiing and riding but to knock the drought out like that is a real relief for everybody," Towle said.

Mt. Ashland hopes to accommodate crowds next season with a renovated lodge, and construction is planned for later this spring. The expansion will add to the dining area, as well as the cafe and rental space.

"To increase the size of the lodge and to fix some of those operational challenges is just really important to us as we continue to grow. With the numbers we're posting this year it's a good indicator that there's more of a demand for what we offer," Towle said.

This is largely made possible through the $500,000 match program with the Sid and Karen DeBoer Foundation. So far $140,000 have been raised, and with the match close to $300,000.